Course Syllabus

English IV Honors; Fall Semester 2017

Mrs. Sarah Henry

Welcome to English IV Honors.  English class this year will focus on the study of British literature and the social, political and historical influences which helped to shape it.  This class will also put heavy emphasis on thinking critically about topics which affect us as humans in society.  Those topics will come from the literature and sources beyond.  Students will be challenged to consider viewpoints which are different from their own, to have informed opinions, and to construct writing which reflects effort to investigate and analyze a subject.  

This is an honors level course.  This course is also available in the Program of Studies at the college preparatory level.  Students earning credit for an honors level course receive an elevated number of quality points for their grade point Average.  Students choosing the honors level course should be aware that this honors level course will include:

• Required extension opportunities that are directly related to the Standard Course of Study. This includes additional content beyond that covered in the college preparatory level.
• More challenging coursework and assessments.  Students will be expected to demonstrate higher levels of understanding for grades.
• Projects and presentations will be require more analysis.  
• Students will have to focus and study regularly to master the content. 
• The expectation that students can move through the coursework at an accelerated pace. Students experiencing difficulty should quickly seek guidance from their teacher on how they can be more successful.

 

Here are two examples of how the activities and assignments in this class differ from those assigned in a College Preparatory level class:

Reading Standards for Literature from the North Carolina Common Core Standards for English Language Arts 11-12 Band

RL.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.  

 

English IV College Prep

Students will read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley over a period of four weeks using a mandatory study guide; one day each week discussion are held to clarify any questions about the complex text.  Denser portions of the novel are read aloud in class and discussed for literal and figurative meanings.  

 

English IV Honors

Students will read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley over a period of two weeks using an optional study guide; every three days students are given the opportunity to discuss any questions that they have about the text before a reading quiz in which students are asked to provide analysis of implicit and figurative language.  

 

Writing Standards from the North Carolina Common Core Standards for English Language Arts 11-12 Band

W.11-12.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and introduce precise knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons and evidence.

Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.

Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and counterclaims.

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.  

 

English IV College Prep

Students write a four page research paper on the social question of their choice.  Students must first generate a research worthy question and use the internet and print sources to establish an argumentative claim.  Students must diligently question the reliability and viability of sources found on the internet to establish their own claims as well as counterclaims.  After developing and argumentative thesis, students create an annotated bibliography of their sources, take MLA formatted notes on their sources, write a detailed outline of the paper, write a draft of the paper that is teacher and peer edited and finally write a final draft in proper MLA format with a Works Cited page.  Students’ papers are evaluated on strength argument, use of evidence, and adherence to grammatical and mechanical standards.

 

English IV Honors

Students write a six page research paper analyzing an author’s purpose shown through use of language in a British novel (Frankenstein, Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice).  Students must first generate a research worthy question and use the school’s database resources and print sources to establish an argumentative claim.  Students must diligently read and evaluate multiple criticisms, working to find valid evidence which supports their own argument.  After developing and argumentative thesis, students create an annotated bibliography of their sources, take MLA formatted notes on their sources, write a detailed outline of the paper, write a draft of the paper that is teacher edited, and finally write a final draft in proper MLA format with a Works Cited page.  Students’ papers are evaluated on strength argument, use of evidence, establishment of voice, use of high-level vocabulary, varied syntax, logical transitions, and adherence to grammatical and mechanical standards.   

     

Unit Overview (each unit includes vocabulary, written responses/essays, and historical background):

• Unit One: The Anglo-Saxon Age. Literature includes Beowulf and Anglo Saxon poetry  
• Unit Two: The Middle Ages. Literature includes Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and sections from The Canterbury Tales
• Unit Three: The Renaissance. Literature includes The Tragedy of Macbeth and Shakespearean sonnets
• Unit Four: The Restoration through the Romantic Period. Literature includes Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Unit Five: The Victorian Period. Literature includes Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
• Unit Six (optional): The Modern Period.  Literature includes poetry by T. S. Elliot, William Butler Yeats and Seamus Heaney   

Reading: Most of the homework assigned in this class is reading.  If students are reading a longer work, they will be given schedule for the reading assignments.  Students should be prepared for quizzes or class discussion whenever a reading assignment is due; if students have been absent, they need to check my Canvas site and see the day’s agenda and what homework was assigned.  I expect students to read thoroughly and closely; adherence to on-line summaries will not substitute.   

Writing: Students often in this class in various formats.  Students will be expected to type formal essays using the MLA standard format.  Seniors will be writing a formal research paper that will be due during the second six weeks grading period as well as other shorter papers during the semester.  Writing a paper is a process that includes conferencing and revising; students should follow all due dates to be prepared for these critical reviews of work.  The due dates and times should be carefully noted as I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK.  Papers are uploaded to Canvas and to the originality checker website TurnItIn.  I take plagiarism seriously, so students should, too. Failure to properly acknowledge a source for quoted, summarized or paraphrased information is plagiarism.  Using another person’s work as your own is plagiarism. 

Vocabulary:  Learning challenging vocabulary is essential to supporting good reading comprehension. Students will be using the Vocabulary Workshop curriculum.  Quizzes are weekly and there will be a major cumulative test after three units. 

Grades:  Major tests 35%                                             Grading Scale:  A 90-100

Major projects/essays 35%                                                       B 80-89

                 Quizzes 20 %                                                                                     C 70-79

                Homework 10%                                                                                D 60-69

                                                                                                                                F 0-59

 

Grade Composition: The classroom work will comprise 75% of a student’s final grade; the final 25% will be determined by the student’s performance on the North Carolina Final Exam. 

 

Grades for Missing Assignments: If a student was absent for a quiz, test or to turn in written homework, a grade of “1” will be entered into the grading system gradebook until the work is made up.  A zero in the gradebook indicates that the student was present but did not turn in an assignment (again, I don’t accept homework that is late for any reason besides an) or the student completely failed an assessment.

 

Classroom Expectations:  I expect students to be respectful and to be ready and prepared to learn.  Students should take responsibility to schedule and make up missed work within two days of an absence; all daily agendas are uploaded daily to the class Canvas page and all assignments and links to readings that students do not have hard copies of will be located on Canvas.  Students are responsible for making sure that they have their laptops and current novel in class each day.  All papers are uploaded to Canvas and to TurnItIn on the due date.  TurnItIn is an originality checker to ensure that students have not plagiarized portions of their papers.        

Materials:  Students may keep daily journal entries in a one-subject spiral notebook.  My class also requires daily paper and pen use.  Some students find using index cards in the research process helpful, but they are not required. 

Resources: Here is a link to Union County’s EmpowerEd page.  There are helpful resources for parents and students here: https://www.ucps.k12.nc.us/domain/2917

Important Information for Students:

• Homework is due at the beginning of the class period. I do not accept late homework if a student was present when the homework was due. 
• If a paper is due to be submitted electronically on a given date and a student knows in advance that he or she will not be at school on that day, that student is held to that deadline. If he or she will not have access to a computer or the internet on the due date, the paper should be submitted early. 
• Attendance is very important. If a student has missed my class, then he or she has missed work.  It is the student’s responsibility to find out the missing homework and classwork and to make up any quizzes or tests in a timely manner by checking the Canvas page and asking questions.  I do not spend class time going over missed work; students should find a time either before or after school to see me about missed work. I do adhere to the handbook’s stated policy of a two-day window to make up work after an absence.     
• I am available and willing to help students with any specific assignment or work that they are having trouble with. I arrive at school at around 7:40 a.m. and do not leave until 5 p.m. on most days.  It’s especially helpful if students arrange a time in advance so that I can be ready to give them my full attention.   Students can also ask to be assigned to come to my classroom during Cougar Time to get extra help or to make up work.  If I believe that a student is struggling to understand a concept, I will schedule him or her to come on a regular basis.